


Sensory Overload

by FujiRouge



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Cheating, Divorce, Drabbles, Family Bonding, Family Drama, Growing Up, M/M, Short Chapters, Slice of Life, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-17
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 08:09:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 4,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27600058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FujiRouge/pseuds/FujiRouge
Summary: Harry has a sensitive nose that could smell through a person's emotions.
Relationships: Harry Potter/Tom Riddle, Regulus Black/James Potter
Comments: 39
Kudos: 379





	1. Chapter 1

When Harry was five years old, he asked his father if he was alright. The response he got was a small pat on the head and a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "I'm fine," his Daddy, James said. 

The usual scent of his Daddy— sunshine and fresh air— was consumed by the stench of something putrid, like those dirty dumpsters Harry passed by in the dark alleyways. 

A week later. His mummy, Lily said. "We're getting a divorced, sweetheart."

Harry frowned. "What's a di-borced?"

She caressed his cheek. "It means... Your daddy and I are going our separate ways."

"Is it because of me?"

"No!" His mummy paled, hurriedly grabbing her son's shoulders in a clear sign of panic (spicy peppers). "It's not your fault, sweetie, _never_ your fault. It's just me and James have reached an understanding that we can no longer be together but it doesn't change how much we love you."

"Is it because of Uncle Regulus?"

"How did you..." She trailed off, a slight crease on her forehead. "Did your father told you?"

Shaking his head, Harry responded. "No. I kind of had an idea."

"Harry," there was a hint of seriousness in her voice. "Who gave you that idea?"

 _Uh oh_. Harry knew that tone of voice— it was the same one his mummy used whenever she caught him lying about stealing food from the fridge or going outside without permission. He hasn't done anything wrong now, did he?

"No one. I've been smelling Uncle Regulus' scent from daddy." 

Harry noticed, for a whole month now, of how Regulus' smell of old books and spilled ink was rubbing off on his daddy whenever he went home from his weekly visit to the Black Manor. He never really bothered to question it— maybe his daddy and Regulus hug a lot? 

His mummy's expression was inscrutable, she seemed too lost in her thoughts that she must've forgotten Harry was standing in front of her. Immediately, Harry's nose was suffocated by something harsh and potent that he could almost taste it in his tongue.

He tried to block out the smell by cupping his hands around his nose, but they continued to fill him up and he couldn't breath, _he couldn't_ —

"Harry?"

Then it was gone. Replaced by something less intense. 

"Are you alright?" She asked, green eyes focused solely on him.

With deep breaths, chest heaving, Harry nodded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by The Best Smell, a BL manhwa.


	2. Chapter 2

Mummy and Daddy doesn't talk much. They wouldn't— couldn't even look at each other.

There was always this unperturbed silence, as if a thick and hard wall was separating them from each other. Harry didn't feel comfortable when both of them were present in the same room.

Because Mummy felt angry. Daddy felt sad. Harry just wanted them to get along. _Why can't they just get along?_

He couldn't stand being in the same room with them, especially his Mummy. There was a thick trail of smoke that followed her around, it got even worst whenever Daddy was around her. Sometimes Harry could even feel the fire burning through his nostrils. 

He tried to comfort her, because despite the thick smoke, he could also smell a different scent— something that was mostly prominent from his Daddy. 

It was somewhat a mix of saltwater and burnt wood. Harry couldn't explain it properly. There was a lot of things he smelled that he couldn't distinguish, because they get so heavily mixed that it created something new entirely.

But one thing was clear. Harry did not like it. 

In fact, it made his nose itch. Even giving hugs to his parents was a challenge for him, he couldn't take a step close without a sniffle of discomfort.

Right now, Harry wanted to leave the house.

Harry wanted to see Sirius so much.


	3. Chapter 3

At his previous birthday, Sirius gifted him a mirror that Harry could use to communicate with him, in case he needed to send an important message or just wanted a quick conversation. 

Harry rarely used it, since Sirius often visited his house but these past few days, he hasn't seen or heard him much of him. 

Was he busy with work? Harry didn't want to disturb. 

A moment of consideration later, Harry decided to go along with it. He chanted Sirius' full name, just as he was told to do, then waited patiently for his reply. 

Finally, a swirl of color filled the reflected surface befire the image of Sirius manifested, looking at Harry with a toothy grin. He seemed pleased to see Harry's face, Harry was glad to know that.

Seeing Sirius' curls of long hair that almost reached his shoulders, soft grey eyes and the usual smirk of amusement made Harry realized how much he really missed him.

"Hey there, pup. Finally miss your godfather?" Sirius echoed his thoughts.

Harry nodded, rather enthusiastically that Sirius laughed. 

"Aw, I miss you too," if Sirius was with him, he definitely would've ruffled Harry's hair in a spur of affection. "Do you need anything from me? Or did you just wanted to see my glorious visage— trust me, you wouldn't be the only one."

"If you're not busy today, would you mind visiting me? Or maybe we can go somewhere?" Away from here, he didn't say. 

Something must've slipped from Harry's expression since Sirius frowned at him, clearly concerned. "Is there something wrong?" 

"Mummy and Daddy aren't getting along," Harry finally admitted, the weight from his chest slightly decreasing. "The house feels really...tense." 

Sirius nodded, leaning closer to the mirror. "Did Lily and James said anything about why they aren't happy together?"

"I don't know," his hands started fidgeting on his lap. "They never tell me anything. Something about them doing di-borced? Divorce? What does that mean, Sirius? Why are they getting a divorce?"

"It's not your fault, Harry."

"That's what Mummy said," oddly enough, Harry's voice suddenly lose volume.

"Well, your mother is right," Sirius briefly went quiet. "Have you yet to ask them?"

He nodded. "Should I? They don't seem to want to talk about it."

A low chuckle left the older man, chest rumbling by the vibrations but nothing about it sounded humorous. "Whether they want to talk about it or not, they don't have a choice. You'll learn the truth soon enough."

His shoulders was heavy, palms sweating a bit. "I don't think I want to know."

"Oh, pup," Sirius gave him soft look. "Are you scared?"

Harry was about to shake his head, until he halted and actually considered the question. Was he scared? He doesn't think so... But he was never sure. It came easy for him to know what other people felt, whether they were sad or happy, excited or disappointed. Harry could always understand it, in some way or another.

But when it came to his own emotions? That made him pause. 

He doesn't want anything to change between his parents, but from what his Mummy said, this divorce thing needed to happen— Harry isn't selfish, he doesn't want his parents to be miserable. But he also didn't want to lose him both of them. What if one of them disappeared from his life? What if things change? No more family TV where they'd huddle together in the coach, no more Christmas parties or Halloween or—

_He wasn't gonna lose them, right?_

"Harry."

Blinking, Harry raised his head to meet Sirius' focused gaze. 

"Your parents love you, no matter what. They'll never leave you."

He held his gaze for a while, a clash of stormy grey and emeralds. Sirius said it with utmost certainty, Harry couldn't find himself to deny the older man, though he doesn't think he could talk any further from how dry his throat was, so he simply nodded. 

Sirius smiled. "I'll be there in a few minutes."


	4. Chapter 4

There was a knock on the door.

Scrambling from the couch and heading towards the door with small, hurried steps. He hastily turned the knob then excitedly called out. "Sirius!" 

Sirius, dressed in a long black coat and a tucked in polo shirt that was hardly buttoned, had his arms wide open. "Come here, you little brat!"

Harry laughed, wrapping his small arms around the man's waist, face pressing onto the soft fabric. Sirius' scent was like newly grown grass with a hint of earthly musk. It was soothing. It wasn't laced with anything bad, no burnt wood, no saltwater, no smoke. 

A hand ruffled his hand before Harry felt his feet leave the ground, Sirius carried him to his arms. Giggling, Harry hugged Sirius and pressed his forehead onto his shoulder.

"You want to go baking back at my kitchen?"

"Baking?" Harry leaned back. "I thought you don't like baking? Or anything that meant staying in the kitchen?"

"Well— turns out baking also means making a mess and you know how much I like starting messes," Sirius grinned. "You game?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah!"

They walked out of the house, a crackle of magic as they disappeared.


	5. Chapter 5

Harry tip-toed up to his tallest height, trying to sit at the kitchen counter. "Shortie," Sirius snorted before helping the boy up. 

His legs kicked into swift motions, Harry watched Sirius take out a book from the cupboard— it was heavy and dusty, the covers draping with cobwebs. He blew the dust off, then laid it beside Harry. The title read _'Do It Homemade!_ ' with a picture of a perfectly sliced cake drizzled in caramel syrup. 

"That looks old," Harry pointed out.

"It was owned by my mother. As a housewife, she never did much since me and Reggie were at Hogwarts while father was at work. She baked a lot, even taught me once in my youth," Sirius scowled. "She was a bad teacher, almost as bad as her job of being a mother."

"What did she do?"

"She yelled at me a lot," Sirius responded before his voice changed into something high-pitched and mocking. " _Don't do this, Sirius, do it like that, Sirius. Honestly, Sirius, you can't do anything right! All you do is be a failure like you are to this family, yadda, yadda, yadda_." He rolled his eyes. 

"She doesn't seem very nice," Harry disliked her a lot.

"Trust me, no one thought so either."

"Did you hate her?"

Sirius paused.

"No."

Harry's nose was assaulted by a rough smoke. 


	6. Chapter 6

Harry froze at the sensation of getting attacked by a familiar scent.

Then he realized—

Sirius lied. 

He still harboured some anger towards his mother, albeit it wasn't as fiery and suffocating as his Mummy, more like a quick gush of smoke that passed by your face before diminishing into the air.

"So, what kind of cake do you want to bake, chef?" Sirius asked, missing the look of bewilderment from Harry. "Uh... Raspberry Pink Velvet? Banoffee pie? Carrot cake— ew, no. I hate carrots."

Sirius continued to list down some more recipes. "Merlin, I didn't know there were more types of cake than chocolate. Do you have a preference?"

Harry decided to stay focus, he leaned closer to the book, after skimming through the pages, he pointed at a recipe that looked simple enough to do for two beginners.

"Let's make a Lemon Cake."


	7. Chapter 7

"And... A cup of white sugar? Do we have it all?"

"Affirmative," Harry raised two fingers on his forehead in a crude attempt of a salute. "That's a lot of ingredients. Are you sure we got the measurements right?"

Sirius shrugged. "Who cares? Let's just dump it in a bowl and into the oven."

"I don't want the cake to look like a burnt crisp."

"That's how baking works, right? Learning from mistakes, trial and error."

"Yeah, but unlike you, I actually want to succeed."

His brows slightly pinched together, lips twitching as if he was fighting back a smile. "That's what Lily would say. You sounded just like your mother."

"Good. I heard Mummy is very smart."


	8. Chapter 8

Sirius sifted the all-purpose flour while Harry poured the right ingredients because he doubted the older man would even bother checking what he was putting. As much as possible, he wanted to avoid getting food poisoning. 

"This is boring."

"I don't know, it's relaxing to me."

It was the truth. Harry liked doing things step by step, watching his work slowly molding into results— whether it turned out good or bad, Harry didn't care. He simply enjoyed doing things without being overly competitive. 

"I'd rather play Quidditch. I don't understand why you prefer doing it by hand when my wand is literally begging to be used," Sirius slumped into his seat, eyes half-lidded as he struggled to stay in complete focus. 

Sirius smelled like cardboards left inside a basement, dust piling over as it was left to its abandonment.

Harry wondered.

"Sirius? Is it normal for people to change their smell for no reason?"


	9. Chapter 9

"If it changes for no reason? Then yeah, it's definitely not normal," Sirius stopped what he was doing and turned to give Harry a concerned look. "Does that happen to you?"

"Yeah, it's odd. Sometimes, the smell consumes everything that it makes my head really fuzzy," Harry explained, watching Sirius press his lips together in a look of thought.

"Hmm, not something I've heard or experienced before, though I'm not a Healer. You should definitely check that out, tell James and Lily about it so they could send you to St. Mungos. It might be something Sirius, _ha_."

"That joke died years ago," but Harry couldn't help the soft chuckle escaping him. 

"There, all done. You wanna try mixing it?" 

"Yeah," Harry grabbed a weird mixer tool that Sirius called a Beater and started doing circular motions in the thick, yellow liquid on the bowl. "This is fun," he said, confidence growing as he made his movements much quicker.

Sirius wiped the spilled liquid on his sleeve with a finger. "Too much fun, pup," before licking it, brows raised like he was pleasantly surprised. "Oh, this is actually pretty good." 

They finally placed it on the oven. 

"Apparently..." Harry squinted towards book closer. "It would take fifteen minutes to finish baking."

"While we wait, anything you wanna talk about? Your good ol' Godfather is ready to share his godly vast knowledge and offer advice."

"No thanks, Sirius," Harry giggled. "Mummy said you're terrible at advice, you'd solve a problem by starting fights. Just like Daddy."

"There's a reason why your father and I are best mates," Sirius nudged him, grinning. "On the sidenote, wanna hear stories about your father when he was a wee lad like you?"

Sirius went on with many stories about his time at Hogwarts, mostly about the Marauders—Harry knew they were troublemakers, but the more Sirius spoke, the more Harry thought that Sirius and Daddy were the prime suspects that caused _most_ of the troubles. Remus was usually the one who stopped the trouble, at least tried to, while Peter was pushed to go along with it.

Daddy was a famous seeker, given the title as the Golden Boy of Gryffindor. It sounded cool! Harry already knew most of the stories Sirius told, like the time the Marauders got lost in the Forbidden Forest, or when Sirius started a food fight in the Grand Hall that resulted to a week of cleaning dirty cauldrons as detention. Harry wanted to experience his own adventure— but Harry didn't like getting into trouble or causing them. 

But Harry never heard Regulus' name spoken once in the stories. 

"Uncle Regulus isn't part of the Marauders?"

That brought a pause. "No, Regulus was never the outgoing type. Then again, me and Regulus never got along, never even bothered to talk to each other until..."

"Until?" Harry dared to push.

Sirius became oddly shifty with his gaze, it took a while for him to answer until he said in a slightly disgruntled voice: "Until our mother died."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have I told you that I love Sirius Black so much?
> 
> I decided to make chapters with a 500 words limit so it could be longer. Don't worry, Harry's abilities would be recognized soon enough.


	10. Chapter 10

Sirius patted his head, a small melancholic smile. "It's not a good story, pup. Nasty family stuff."

"What nasty family stuff?"

There was brief hesitance, Sirius clearly didn't want to speak further about the topic and Harry was about to drop it till the older man continued. "Remember about my mother? She's mostly the reason why me and Regulus separated, we weren't always so distant. Once upon a time, we were pretty close. But it changed when I was sorted in Gryffindor," Sirius scowled. 

"Your mom doesn't like Gryffin–ducks?"

" _Gryffindor_ ," Sirius corrected with a chuckle, his sharp edges softening a bit. "Being Gryffindor in our family is the same as those Muggles that used to burn witches for their magic."

Harry briefly trailed back to when his Mummy explained about why wizards had to keep their magic a secret. "Because they didn't like it? Because it was different?"

"Yeah, because I was different." 

"That's not nice," Harry frowned. Now he disliked Sirius' mother more. "Did Regulus thought the same too?"

"Not... Really. We rarely spoke after that and even more so after my mother kicked me out of the Manor and I had to live with the Potters."

"Must be fun spending more time with your best friend, I bet you and Daddy had lots of fun," Harry gave Sirius a smile that he hoped to be comforting. "What happened with Regulus when your mother died?"

Sirius shrugged, eyes wandering to his hands that was fiddling with a used spoon. "We talked, after three years of avoiding each other and pretending we didn't exist— actually, most people often forget that I had a younger brother. When we talked after the day of mother's funeral, I wouldn't say we forgave each other but it made me... Understand him more? Made me less angry? I don't know, it's been years now, but I think things got better between us."

"Did you miss him?"

Sirius stopped, looking at Harry for a moment before his lips spread upward. "You know what? I did."

Harry was glad to realize he didn't smell a single whiff of smoke. 

The oven made a _ding_ sound.

Sirius took it out with a wave of his wand, the cake floated up towards the table and Harry gladly tool a fork. "I'll take a bite first!" Harry poked the fork on the top surface, a lemon and cream invaded his senses and it smelled really good. 

"Is it good?" Sirius smiled as Harry stuffed it in his mouth.

"It is! Here—" Harry took another piece and moved it towards Sirius' face. 

Sirius had to bow his head to be able to take a bite from Harry's fork. Humming, he nodded in approval. "Not bad. Up top, pup!" 

Harry slapped his hand on Sirius' hand, the impact was too hard since Harry hit his palm too hard but it was worth it.

"Sirius? Merlin, are you baking _again_?" A smooth, slightly annoyed voice spoke. 

It was Regulus.


	11. Chapter 11

Regulus appeared from the door— Harry was surprised to find the pureblood in a state of mess, especially his robs which were dirtied by swirls of paint that explained the chemical smell. The side of his mouth as well as his nose were smudged by a lime color. 

Regulus' gaze immediately darted to Harry who was sitting on the counter— from the way his face appeared slightly stunned, he clearly didn't expect Harry's presence and he seemed a bit unease about it.

Something vaguely disgusting laced Regulus and Harry's nose itched, he was bothered by Harry— did he do something wrong?

Quickly as it came, it disappeared and Regulus gave Harry a quick smile. "Are you cooking with my idiotic brother?"

"Yeah, I helped him with everything." 

"That explains the lack of mess and why the kitchen isn't on fire yet."

"Hey, after that insult, you wouldn't be getting any of this masterful concoction me and Harry conducted."

Harry ignored Sirius' protests and gave Regulus a fork. "Here, Regulus." 

After taking a bite, Regulus hummed in appreciation. "Not bad, Harry," he grabbed a knife and plate, gingerly taking a slice. "You're very good at this."

Harry puffed his chest, feeling awfully proud for the achievement while Sirius rolled his eyes, arms crossed. "Yeah, sure, keep ignoring me."

"Oh, did you hear that?" Regulus feigned surprise, his lips formed into a small 'o' as he placed a hand near his ear like he was pretended to listen for something. "I think I just heard an idiot speak."

Harry giggled. Regulus and Sirius always acted like they couldn't stand each other's presence but Harry knew they wouldn't have it any other way.

Suddenly, the story Sirius said about his childhood wormed its way in Harry's head, about how terrible his relationship he had with his mother that it severely affected his relationship between his brother too. If Sirius' mother never died, then both brothers wouldn't have the chance to talk to each other. Would they still even act this way with each other?

Would Sirius hate Regulus like he did with his mother?

Somehow Harry didn't want to know.

As he watched the two adults argue, Harry realized something that brought a surge of excitement within. "Have you been with Daddy?"

Both adults froze, their playful bantering coming to a halt. They seemed really nervous— Harry sniffed. They also smell like olive oil being sizzled against a pan.

"Harry," Regulus tried to keep his expression neutral but something clearly unnerved him. "How did you know?" 

"I smelled it."

"You _what_?" Sirius frowned. 

"Daddy likes to wear the same perfume whenever he goes out somewhere important like a party." Harry grabbed Regulus' robs. "Your robs smell like him."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo, it still hurts me that Regulus and Sirius never got the chance to reconcile. IT HURTS.


	12. Chapter 12

"You can smell that?" Sirius abruptly leaned closer to Regulus, ignoring his younger brother's protests as he pressed his nose against the fabric. "It does kind of smell like James, but like really, really faint. It's barely even there. It mostly smells like paint."

Regulus shoved Sirius away, smoothening his robs as he glared at Sirius but the older man ignored it and gave Harry an impressed look. "Harry, your nose must be the same as a damn blood hound! Can you smell anything else from me?"

Harry nodded, his surroundings blurred as he concentrated on Sirius specifically— he smelled mostly like lemon and flour and... Dirt?

"Have you been running around in the dirt? You smell like grass."

Sirius' eyes widened. "I did, actually, a few hours ago. Before I picked you up, I was running around the field as Padfoot, but I took a quick shower when I left..." He trailed off. 

Regulus remained quiet, watching Harry in fascination, as if he was trying to decode a puzzle or reading a new subject of book.

"Is it bad?" Harry deflated a bit by the stunned gazes, unsure if the attention he was receiving was good or bad.

"No— it's really cool."

"Really?" Harry squinted, head craning to the side as he peered up at Sirius. 

"Yeah, it really is, pup."

Harry was about to question further until he noticed a familiar and comforting scent that was approaching the kitchen. "Daddy!" He squealed, hopping out of the counter.

The two adults flinched when Harry moved and darted towards the door. On cue, his Daddy arrived and let out a surprise 'oomph!' as Harry nearly tackled him. "Harry, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at home?" He asked. 

"Uncle Sirius took me out of the house. He already left an owl for Mommy while she was out."

"Aw, have you been baking?"

"Yeah! Would you like to try some?" Harry asked, excited.

His Daddy gave him a sorry look. "You know I don't eat sweets, Harry."

Regulus shrugged. "More for me then," and placed another small piece on his mouth. 

Sirius leaned closer to his Daddy's' ear, his gaze darkening for a moment. "Will you ever gonna tell him?"

"Tell me what?" Harry asked. 

"Nothing, son," His Daddy answered so hurriedly that he almost stumbled upon his words. "I'll tell you later, okay?"

Reluctant, Harry nodded, noticing the way Sirius shook his head as he stared at his Daddy, his annoyance was clear as day. Meanwhile, Regulus stared at the wall and had his head turned around from everyone, Harry could hear him chewing, just very slowly. 

The tension inside the room became thick, Harry felt uncomfortable standing in silence amongst the bothered adults. 

Despite being so confused, Harry felt as bothered as the people around him— almost like he could stand within their shoes. Their scents formed a tornado of very unpleasant things and with that, Harry sneezed. 

Then again.

And again.

And again. 

Thankfully, the smells stopped. Harry rubbed his nose, his snot dripping a bit. 

He felt a hand on his hair, Harry raised his head to find all the men looking at him with worry. Their scents have mellowed down and Harry was able to lose the weight from his shoulders.

"We should probably leave now. Your mummy must be worried for you now, okay?" His daddy asked, tone soft. 

Harry nodded. 

"Oh, James. You might wanna take Harry to a healer. Harry's sense of smell is really weird. Apparently, he can smell things that aren't even there," Sirius said, before turning to Harry with a smile. "See you later, pup, we had fun today."

His Daddy gave him a frown. "I'll make sure I'll do."

"James," Regulus finally said, after being silence for most of the time since his Daddy's arrival. His hand slightly hesitated when he reached to cup it around Daddy's shoulder. His eyes— green like a three-leaf clover, green but not as dark as his Mommy's, green but much sharper than Harry's— met Daddy's and smiled. "Take care of yourself," it came out as a whisper, as if it was meant for his Daddy only. 

His Daddy seemed like he wanted to say more, but he bit his lips and simply held Harry's hand. He settled for a nod then he and Harry left outside the Manor.

While they were exiting out the gate, Harry was holding a bag filled with cake he placed for his Mummy and said. "You love Uncle Regulus, don't you? And not the same way as you love me or Sirius, you really do love him."

The hand around Harry's went cold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> James has a thing for green eyes.
> 
> I'd love to write a spin-off about James and Regulus' relationship, I JUST LOVE THEM.
> 
> Someone recommend me Jegulus fics in the comments. I'd literally read anything with that pairing


End file.
